Day: June 17, 2012

[This is a golden oldie—it ran on Indies Unlimited back in October 2011.]

After I sold my books, “The Saucy Lucy Murders” and “Paws-itively Guilty,” I wrote a third book in the lighthearted murder-mystery series titled, “A Killer Slice.” The publisher decided to pass on it, so I wound up with an unpublished manuscript and plenty of readers asking for more installments. For months I queried traditional publishers and agents to see if I could get anyone interested in working with me, but they all turned me down. Some politely; some not so politely, but that’s the way it goes. This is a time-worn scenario—there are lots of writers in the world who can tell the same story.

Sorry to say, I moped for a while. Friends and family put up with my awful moods. Shame on me for whining, but I couldn’t help myself. After much soul-searching, I decided to self-publish “A Killer Slice.” At some point in time, I think all writers consider self-publishing, and I’m no different. Since I already had an audience, I hoped that would increase my chances for success. I didn’t jump into it overnight, however. I took a couple of years to consider many different options including iUniverse and Lulu. I talked with people who’d done it already, read blogs about indie publishing and absorbed as much as I could. I wanted to make certain that before I plopped down hard-earned dollars, I’d found a legitimate publishing house. I wanted to feel confident they would produce the best book and provide the widest distribution. Continue reading “My Journey to Self-Publishing by Cindy Keen Reynders”

Congratulations to author Yvonne Hertzberger on a great review of her book, Back from Chaos.

Klast, loner, assassin and spy, has no idea that his destiny is linked to the maid he is sent to rescue. But even before he can fulfill it he must wrestle with his own demons, and help Lord Gaelen unmask a traitor. Failure will upset the Balance that Earth, goddess, needs to provide good harvests, health and peace.

Earth has shown Liethis, true seer, that unless Klast completes his missions, more catastrophes, like the Red Fever that ravages the population, will follow. Time is short.

Reviewer Cathy Speight says of the book, “A well-constituted cast of characters, a good mix of action and romance, and well written. Yvonne has certainly caused chaos in my preferential order of genres.” Read the whole review at Cath ‘n’ Kindle.

Today we have a sneak peek from Lisa Winkler’s African American historical biography, On the Trail of the Ancestors: A Black Cowboy’s Ride Across America.

Miles J. Dean, a Newark, NJ schoolteacher, rode his stallion Sankofa from New York to California to celebrate the contributions African Americans made in the settling of the United States.

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Dean first learned about cowboys from watching television. Although Hollywood helped keep his dream alive, the cowboys on TV didn’t look like Dean. His journey through 12 states retraced the steps of African Americans unknown by most people: the black jockeys, the Buffalo soldiers, the black cowboys and deputy Marshals. His unpaid leave of absence showed how an ordinary man can accomplish the extraordinary.

Nimpentoad is the fantasy story of a courageous and resourceful little Nibling who leads his tribe through the perilous Grunwald forest, overcoming obstacles and encountering strange creatures along the way. This post is about the creative journey of Nimpentoad by a father and his two young sons.

When my sons were five and seven years old, I wanted to share my love of fantasy with them. They were too young for watching most of the fantasy and sci-fi movie classics, and there are only so many good fantasy books available for that age range. Struck by inspiration one day, I came up with a way to share the joy of entering the magical realms of fantasy. I would write a fantasy book for them.

What I did not anticipate was that my boys would give me feedback on the story. They devised some of the character (“Nimpentoad”) and creature (“Neebel”) names, and made plot line suggestions. And who better to help make the story appealing to kids than other kids? So, my goal of interesting my sons in fantasy transformed into also encouraging them to write. Very cool. Continue reading “A Father and Two Sons Journey into Publishing by Henry Herz”